Threatened by climate change, Panama Canal has big plans to combat drought
The lush river valleys of El Zaino y La Arenosa in western Panama, home to hundreds of families that eke out a living farming, fishing and raising cattle, could soon be submerged by a massive man-made reservoir designed to ensure the viability of the Panama Canal in the face of a changing climate.
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The Panama Canal Authority aims to create a massive dam 840 meters in length and 80.5 meters in height to secure freshwater for its locks. It says the reservoir's 1.25 billion cubic meters of water would allow up to 15 additional vessel transits per day during the dry season, and help provide drinking water to Panama's growing 4.5 million population.
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If it wins approval, the dam is expected to be completed by 2030 or 2031, but the clock is ticking: Last year was the third driest in the waterway's 110-year history. The second driest was 2015. Meteorologists forecast Panama will face more severe droughts and faster water evaporation due to higher temperatures in the future.
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From an environmental damage point of view, the Rio Indio project could have a greater negative impact and few positive benefits that could not be obtained otherwise, said Professor LeRoy Poff, an expert on aquatic ecology from Colorado State University, referring to displacement of people and livelihoods, damages downstream for the fish and for the forests.
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